Luxembourg artists say 'yes' to foreigner voting rights

Around 50 representatives of the Luxembourg cultural sector have voiced their support for foreigner voting rights in an open letter published Monday.

28.04.2015

(CS) Around 50 representatives of the Luxembourg cultural sector have voiced their support for foreigner voting rights in an open letter published Monday.

“In Luxembourg, a great number of inhabitants do not have Luxembourg nationality, but they pay their taxes, raise their children, participate in cultural life, in local or European elections, respect the laws of the country and are permanently settled in Luxembourg. Yet, they cannot participate in national elections which determine the laws of our country,” the letter states.

“Citizenship is not necessarily linked to nationality,” it continued, arguing that citizenship is about the rights and responsibilities of taking part in political and public life.

“Taking part in the political community, in democracy, is recognising the equality of all citizens, recognising their diversity and freedom,” the signatories say. “More particularly, in a country with a high percentage of non-nationals, it means accepting the rules of living together without which it would not be a truly democratic society.”

The letter furthermore states that giving non-nationals the right to vote would not infringe on the rights of Luxembourg nationals. On the contrary, it would help prevent the risk of division between the part of the country able to influence political decision-making and those who have to accept the choice of others, the letter continued.

Voting 'yes' would also help promote a positive image of the Grand Duchy, the letter's signatories said. Rather than being associated with negative clichés, it would help Luxembourg be “perceived as an innovative country notably in the area of citizenship.”